


Highgate

by Whedonista93



Series: Wayward Heroes [1]
Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angels, Crossover, Demons, Fallen Angels, Gen, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26439928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: Angels were created to protect and care for heaven and Earth. When Earth was lost, many lost their purpose. Throughout the years, many found a new purpose. They sacrificed their own existence to imbue their Grace upon someone they found worthy to carry on their tasks.
Series: Wayward Heroes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921951
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Highgate

“Gotta go to Highgate,” River insists stubbornly.

Mal frowns. “What in the _gorram_ hells is in Highgate, Albatross?”

River frowns.“Past, present, future. The lion has the words for what the girl sees but can’t make sense of or explain.”

Mal sighs dramatically. “Why do I get the feeling you’re gonna do what you want anyway?”

River smirks. “Coordinates were set 3 hours ago.”

Mal shakes his head. “If anyone but you pulled a stunt like this, little one…”

Her smirk morphs into a wide grin. “Cap’n would threaten to put ‘em out the airlock.”

* * *

“Judah!”

Judah groans into her pillow and rolls her head to glance at the clock. She’d been out hunting until 2 hours ago and only dropped into bed an hour ago. She’s gonna _kill_ Vanessa for waking her up. She rolls out of bed and tugs a t-shirt over her sports bra as she stumbles down the hall toward the back patio where her sister’s voice is coming from. “This better be important, Ness! I just got to bed an hour ago!”

She pauses in the doorway and squints against the roiling mass of smoke and light emanating from the ragtag group standing in front of her sister. Vanessa quirks an eyebrow at her. 

Judah shoves her hair out of her face and forces her eyes to focus past the light. “Well, fuck.”

Ness smirks smugly.

“Okay, yeah, this was worth waking me up, but I demand coffee before I actually have to deal with it.”

The man at the front of the group - tan pants, red button up, brown coat - clears his throat. “Don’t mean to be rude ladies, especially as we’re already trespassin’ on your porch, but… if you know what the hell is goin’ on…”

Judah huffs a laugh. “Come on in and get comfy. I’m gonna go find pants.”

“Pity,” the big guy in the back smirks.

Judah throws a wink over her shoulder before she bolts back up the hall. She yanks a cleanish pair of jeans on and pulls a flannel on over her t-shirt before shoving a gun into the back of her waist band.

Vanessa already has everyone herded into the living room and a massive pot of coffee steaming on a side table. Judah spares a moment to actually take in the motley group. A stunning Companion sits next to the man who had spoken earlier. A dark skinned woman dressed similarly to the man stands at the shoulder of a blond man in a floral print shirt. A dark haired city slicker sits next to a smiling girl in overalls with grease on her face. A massive guy in a goofy orange hat - the one who had leered at her legs - stands next to a white haired shepherd near the windows. And finally, a dark-haired girl, with too much pain and knowledge in her wide eyes for one so young, hovers near the fireplace. They’re clearly tense and uncomfortable. Judah snags the cup of coffee her sister offers as she passes through the room and plops down on the fireplace stones, letting the heat seep into her weary bones. The girl immediately sits at her feet, so close her hair brushes Judah’s jeans. Judah briefly squeezes her shoulder and she relaxes, resting her slight weight against Judah’s leg.

She sips at her coffee. “What brings you folks to Highgate? And to my yard, no less?”

“Bein’ perfectly up front with ya, ma’am, I haven’t the foggiest. Though, if I may be so bold, I get the feeling you might know.” The first man answers. 

Judah nods slowly. “Introduce yourselves.”

The young girl’s gaze snaps to the group sharply. “No lies.”

The leader bristles, but calms at the Companion’s hand on his arm and nods. “Malcolm Reynolds. I captain a transport ship called _Serenity_.”

Judah barely represses a snort. That’s a name she knows.

“This is my crew. My second-in-command, Zoe, and her husband Wash. City slicker is our doc, Simon, and that little ray of shine next to him is my mechanic Kaylee. Big guy is Jayne and the shepherd is Book. This is Inara and the little one next to you is River.”

Judah shakes her head, almost amused. “None of you have a clue what you are, do you?”

“She can see it, but she doesn’t have the words to tell,” River whimpers. “The lion knows the words.”

Judah reaches out and squeezes her hand gently. “You were always so special, dear one. Don’t worry. I’ll explain.”

River smiles brilliantly and relaxes again.

Judah holds her head high. “You can call me Judah, and I need you to suspend your disbelief. What do you know of the end of Earth-that-Was?”

Mal shrugs. “Used it up. Had to go.”

“That’s the story in history books,” Judah nods, “but history is written by the winners, isn’t it Sergeant?”

Mal stiffens. 

Judah waves a lazy hand. “I fought for the Independents, Captain. At ease.”

“You don’t look old enough,” Zoe observes.

“I surely don’t,” Judah agrees easily.

“What really happened on Earth-that-Was, then?” Mal asks.

“It was overrun by demons. Those who had the skill and knowledge fought off the darkness for centuries, but eventually… well, it won.”

River shudders. “Smoke and mirrors and skin suits.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following,” Simon interjects.

“Back on Earth-that-Was, there were stories and legends of monsters and demons and angels. There were prophecies of the world ending. Most of them were true. There were people there, hunters, who kept that darkness at bay from the rest of the world. But eventually, there was an apocalypse even the strongest couldn’t stop. Too much darkness.”

“Very few exist,” Books speaks slowly, “but there are journals of these hunters in the possession of some Orders, and stories of the strongest as you call them… the debate on whether or not those stories are true have caused rifts in Orders.”

“More exist than your Order knows of, Shepherd,” Judah grins.

“My abbey, at Haven on Deadwood, has one. The journal of a young woman called Claire.”

Judah looks up sharply. “Novak?”

The shepherd nods, a curious expression on his face.

“We’ve been looking for that for centuries. She was an incredible hunter. Ness?”

Vanessa is already heading for their Cortex, more for appearance sake, with strangers in the house, than necessity. “I’ll let dad know.”

“What does all this have to do with why we’re here?” Zoe tries to steer the conversation back to the original topic.

Judah takes another swig of coffee. “Angels were created to protect and care for heaven and Earth. When Earth was lost, many lost their purpose. Throughout the years, many found a new purpose. They sacrificed their own existence to imbue their Grace upon someone they found worthy to carry on their tasks, because they discovered that humans must now be protected by humans. Those who remember and believe Earth’s legends no longer trust the angels to carry out their tasks.”

Zoe raises an eyebrow. “You tryin’ to tell us we’ve got angel blood or something?”

Judah’s grin is wry. “I did ask you to suspend disbelief.” She stands and takes a deep breath. “My name is Judah and I am over 500 years old. I am Nephilim, the oldest daughter of an angel and a hunter, and I carry the Grace of the archangel Jehudiel, ruler of the celestial spheres.”

Silence rings. It is broken by Jayne’s laughter. Judah glares and lets just enough of her true nature loose to knock them all on their asses. The silence returns.

Judah reigns herself in and takes a deep breath.

Book breaks the silence. “Does the name Winchester mean anything to you?”

Judah’s grin is sharp, feral. “It means _everything_ to me.”

Book nods slowly. “The Winchester Gospels were never completed, but the Winchesters were the greatest hunters who ever lived. No one knows how they died, but it’s long been theorized that they were almost single-handedly responsible for Earth-that-Was lasting as long as it did and as many people escaping as did when it came to an end. There are theories that the older of the siblings was involved with an angel.”

Nessa barely suppresses a snort.

A bit of humor edges into Judah’s expression. “The Winchesters didn’t die, Shepherd. Never permanently, at least. They were on the last ship out, but they’re alive and well. Still hunting things and still saving people.”

Nessa snorts from the doorway as she returns. “Family business.”

“Not to cut you off with all the cryptic, but what does this have to do with me and mine?” Mal interrupts. 

Judah knows it shows in her eyes - in a manner most folks find creepifyin’ - when she lets her vision slide past the mortal plane, but she figures it’ll help sell the truth. “Four of you carry the Grace of fallen angels. Three of you are possessed by demons who seem content to let you run the show, one of you is simply human, and one of you carries the Grace of an ascended angel. I can tell you exactly whose essence you carry, but if I do, know this - there’s no turning back from it. Your knowledge of it will not go away. It will release the power and knowledge that now lies dormant and you must learn to wield it. Don’t decide now. Think on it. Come to me only when and if you are ready. You are all welcome here as long as you would like to stay, no matter what you choose.”


End file.
